Catching Up
by nikham3
Summary: Raven, Eddie, and Chelsea are now 25, and on their way to starting families and falling in love. Cory is 21 and trying to put things the way they were, and Stanley has the pressure of a jock senior highschooler and the right choices. COMPLETE!
1. PrologueIntroduction

Prologue:

Raven married Devon and is 3 months pregnant with her first child. She is also moving up the ladder at Donna Cabonna's clothing industry and hopes that she can make her own business someday.

Chelsea is desperate to find Danny. For two years, Danny's been in the army and she hasn't heard a word from him.

Eddie is madly in love with a girl he has been dating off and on for 2 years. He's also taking on the pressures of the music industry, with the stars in his eyes and the hope that maybe he'll be a rapper.

Cory is still in college, and has pretty much everything he needs. He has a wonderful girlfriend named Hannah, a great car, and a wonderful apartment. But, he's expecting things to go downhill soon.

Mr. and Mrs. Baxter are living in the same house, but also have a cottage in Maine, where they spend summers and an occasional vacation catching lobsters and fish and just enjoying the lake they live near.

Stanley is still rude and obnoxious, but he's graduating high school this year, and finally taking some maturity.

* * *

-Chapter 1-

At their weekly get-together, Raven, Eddie, Alexis, Chelsea, and Devon all gathered in Raven and Devon's apartment. Alexis was Eddie's girlfriend, and Eddie loved her a lot. They weren't sure if she felt the same way. Every time they had gotten together recently, Chelsea tried to choke back tears. Her longtime boyfriend Danny had been in the army since she was 23 and she hadn't heard from him since.

"Aw, look at you Ray, you get bigger every time I see you!" Chelsea giggled, when arriving at the apartment.

"Yes Chelsea," Raven replied, "it's called pregnancy."

"That's right. Hey Ray, how you doin'? How long have you been pregnant?" Eddie asked.

"I'm great Eddie. I've been pregnant 3 months now. It seems like 8 years. I just want to have the baby already!" Raven laughed.

Do you know if it's going to be a boy or a girl?" Alexis asked.

Devon answered, "We don't know yet, but we're not sure if we want to know when the time comes, right Raven?"

"Yes, Devon. We agreed that when we got the sonograms done we didn't want to know which gender it would be. We wanted to wait for the surprise." Raven said robotically.

"Hey Chelsea," Alexis asked, "Let's go help Raven in the kitchen."

"Why?" Chelsea asked with her head in the clouds.

Alexis pulled her arm and they walked into the kitchen.

"Okay Raven, you want to know if it's a boy or a girl, don't you?" Alexis asked.

Raven took a deep breath and added, "Yeah. But I didn't want to argue with Devon in front of you guys."

"Raven, you have to stand up for yourself. If you want to know the gender, then you find out. Be an independent woman."

"Listen, Alexis, I know you're all feminist and everything, but I'm not like that. I love Devon, and he has some really good reasons for us not to see what the baby is, and I agree. One is when I'm in pain in that labor room, I can occupy myself with thinking of names for when I found out the gender."

"Aren't we supposed to be helping Raven in the kitchen?" Chelsea asked.

"We are helping Raven, and we're in the kitchen," Alexis responded.

"Well, when my mom says to help her in the kitchen, usually we chop up vegetables, and fruits, and Danny's favorite… grapes!" With that, Chelsea burst into tears. Raven and Alexis immediately forgot about their argument and comforted Chelsea.

After a healthy dinner (because Raven was only allowed to eat healthy stuff for the baby), they sat down and talked about the personal things in their life, just like when they were younger.

Chelsea went first, "You know, you guys, there hasn't been a day in the past two years when I haven't thought about Danny. Why doesn't he write? Why doesn't he call? Does he think about me? Is he hiding behind a bunker with a gun on his hand right now, or is he in an army tent gasping for his last breaths of life. Is he already dead, buried, with no tombstone, or not even buried? What if he's just lying on the battle field? Or maybe he's alive and he's coming back right now. That's what goes through my mind every morning when I wake up. I think, 'where is Danny?'"

Eddie replied gently, "Ya know Chels, I think he's just fine right now."

Chelsea smiled, and then it was Devon's turn. "Raven, I know you sort of wanted to look at the sonograms when they came in, but baby, I'm trying to do what's best for us as parents. Seeing your son or daughter, the first day they are born, finding out what gender they are, it all seems too good. I want that. I want you to want that."

Raven smiled, "I do want that. Something that's been on my mind is, well, Devon, I don't want to name our baby after your grandmother or your grandfather. I want something original. I have a lot of names for either gender, honey, and I don't want them to be Jeremiah or Ruth."

Devon nodded. It was Alexis's turn. "Okay guys, when I say friend, I really mean friend. Not like me in anyway. I have this friend, Nina. Now she's been dating this boy for three years, and she really likes him. But he's not making the move she wants him to make. It's like he's not even serious. So Nina decided that, even though she still likes him, she wants to date a guy that will probably take their relationship further than the first one. Does that make sense? Of course it doesn't. Let me re-word this. Nina's dating two guys to see which one will make the right step first. There!" Alexis gasped for breath.

"How come I never met Nina?" Eddie asked.

Alexis laughed. "You probably have, you just weren't paying attention. Like you never do!"

Eddie's turn. "Alright. Well, as you know I'm in the rapping career. I really want it to go bigtime. Otherwise, I'm not going to have enough money for this big project I'm working on. I really want it to look good, and I really want to impress… people. But the people in the music industry are sharks. No one appreciates a good rap these days. I really hope I can make it to the top."

Alexis put her arm around his shoulder, "You mean renovating the apartment?"

"Yeah," Eddie smiled.

After a few more minutes went by, they all got up to leave. Raven took Chelsea aside and asked to talk to her for a few minutes. Chelsea agreed and they stepped into Raven's bedroom.

"Chelsea, I think Eddie's and Alexis's relationship is heading down the drain."

"Aw, don't be silly Ray. Eddie's renovating their apartment."

Raven's vision:

In a foggy scene, Raven sees Eddie with a ring, about to slide it onto Alexis's finger, but Alexis jerks away. From the look on Alexis's face, Raven could tell that the answer to the four-word question would be "no."

"What did you see Ray?" Chelsea asked perkily.

"Not good, Chelsea. Eddie was proposing to Alexis and she rejected! We can't let this happen to him."

Great cliffhanger, huh? Ok, maybe not. Anyways, I bet you can kinda sorta guess whats going on. Do you think I am rushing the story just a little too much?


	2. Gone

**Chapter Two-- Gone**

* * *

Cory woke up to the sight of Hannah at his apartment door. She had a few suitcases with her and looked ready to leave.

"Hannah, honey, what are you doing?" Cory asked sleepily.

Hannah glared, "What do you think I'm doing? I can't take it anymore! I'm sick of you sleeping in and getting nothing done, while I work my butt off to pay for tuition! And then with our relationship… You don't even take me out anymore! It's like there's nothing left and I'm done, Cory!" At this point, Hannah was crying. Tears rained down her face, wetting her cheeks and neck.

Cory quickly got out of bed in an attempt to hug her. Hannah pulled away and grabbed her things.

"You can't make it better now, Cory. It's too late," Hannah sighed. "Do one last thing and help me carry my suitcases to my car."

"Hannah, I refuse to do that," Cory replied. "I'm not going to help my girlfriend run away from me!"

"Cory you're so stubborn! First, I'm not running away, and second, I am now your ex-girlfriend. There's no hope for us anymore. We're over."

A tear trickled down Cory's face and stopped close to his lip. "I'll help you Hannah, just let me put a shirt on." As he helped her take her things to her car, he couldn't help think about what he did wrong. When they were done, he took her in his arms and hugged her. "I'm sorry."

Hannah silently sobbed. "Good-bye Cory." Then she got in the driver's seat and drove off.

* * *

Alexis dropped her purse on the kitchen table and plopped herself down on the couch, next to Eddie. He kissed her on the cheek and they sighed as they both looked back on their Fridays at work. Alexis works as a secretary at a law firm and had had a busy day because her boss was working on a major case. Eddie had just went into the studio this morning to record a demo and sat through a long meeting in the afternoon with a record company. The record company rejected his demo and plunged him into a disappointed afternoon.

"You know, Eddie, there's only one thing that could cure this sucky day," Alexis cheered excitedly.

"Oh yeahhhh," Eddie laughed.

They both jumped up off the couch and shouted, "ICE CREAM!" and ran towards the freezer. After selecting their desired gallons of ice cream and jumped on the couch again.

Eddie looked at Alexis. As she picked up a large scoop of ice cream and shoved it into her mouth, he couldn't help but laugh. She squealed and shook as she tried to swallow the ice cream scoop.

"Alexis," Eddie started.

"Yeah Eddie?"

"Never mind."

The words buzzed through his mind: I love you. I love you. I love you. Why didn't he have the courage to say it? Maybe it was because she wouldn't say it back. Why couldn't he take the chance? Because he didn't want to get hurt. He loved her. He loved her. He loved her. He had to tell her. How?

As he pondered this, the apartment doorbell rang.

"Let me get it honey," Alexis hurried. She stepped outside the door and talked for a few minutes, and then stepped inside.

"Hey Eddie, I forgot I have to take my mom to the doctor today."

Eddie asked, "How'd she get here?"

"My sister could only bring her halfway. Don't wait up, because I'm taking her to dinner afterwards." And she walked out the door.

Raven was on the phone to Cory. She tried to calm him down as she thought about all that was going on. Hannah left because Cory wasn't serious about their relationship. She didn't know what to say. She handed the phone to Devon and lay down on her bed. It's like nobody could be happy and have fun anymore. Eddie buzzed in on the other line.

"Hey Raven, it's for you. Sorry Cory, I gotta hand the phone to Raven. Why don't you take tomorrow off and come up to talk? Alright. Bye. Hey, Eddie, here's Raven." Devon said.

"Hello? Oh, hey Eddie. What's happenin' bro?" Raven laughed.

Eddie sighed, "Ray, she's gone again. Her mother's had 6 appointments in the past two weeks. I can't take it anymore."

"Eddie, are you crying?" Raven asked. She could hear Eddie confirm. "Hang on, Eddie, Chelsea and I'll be right there. Oh and Devon wants to come." She hung up the phone and called Chelsea.

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in Eddie's kitchen, listening to him sob.

"I don't know where she's going, guys, but it ain't her momma's house," Eddie cried.

"Yo Eddie, don't cry. It's not okay to cry, man," Devon laughed.

Raven slapped his hand, "Of course it's okay to cry, Eddie. If you'll excuse Devon, he'll have to go to the restroom now." Raven cocked her head, pointing to the bathroom, signaling to Devon to leave. When he had left, Raven continued, "Eddie, you're not taking her seriously. Cory's going through the same problems and it's not working out great."

"Raven, I need to know how to tell her."

"Tell her what, Eddie?" Chelsea asked.

"I love her."

"Eddie! You haven't told her you loved her yet?" Raven exclaimed.

Eddie nodded, "I'm scared."

Chelsea asked, "Of what? She won't bite you."

"Chelsea, he's scared that she won't feel the same way." Raven hugged him. "Eddie, I'm sure that, even though she's seeing another man, I'm sure she loves you."

"That's just it, Raven! She's seeing someone else! She doesn't love me if she's seeing someone else!" Eddie burst.

"Just do it," Chelsea said.

"Do what?" Eddie asked.

"Tell her."

Eddie replied, "Weren't you listening? What if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"Then you don't need to waste your time on someone that doesn't love you."

Then there was silence. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Devon came back and they got up to leave. On their way out, they passed Alexis, but she was not with anyone else.

Ooooh, very dramatic, huh? I'm very excited to see your reviews, so PLEASE REVIEW!


	3. The Date

-Chapter 3-

"I love you," Eddie said to himself. "I'm going to say it this time." He looked down at his tuxedo and dressy shoes. He was taking Alexis to the finest restaurant in town, and he wanted it to be very special.

Alexis came out of the bedroom wearing a royal blue mid-thigh-length dress and black stiletto heels. "Are you ready baby?"

"Yeah, let's get this date on a roll, ya know?" Eddie laughed. A car honked outside.

"Who is that?" Alexis asked, confused.

"That, my lady," Eddie explained, "is our ride."

"You rented a taxi?" Alexis questioned.

"Even better," he grinned. They walked outside where Alexis stood in shock to see a shiny white limo parked in the apartment complex's parking lot.

"Is that for us?" Alexis asked.

Eddie grinned, "Only the best for my baby."

They got in the back and drove to the Italian restaurant, named St. John's. They were seated in a private booth at the back of the restaurant, with already-lit candles and fine silverware. Eddie seated Alexis and slid in on the other side.

"So, how do you like it so far?" Eddie asked.

"I love it. You've never treated me like this before."

They ordered some fine wine and expensive food. Over the dinner, there was a little bit of silence. Alexis was wiping her face from the spaghetti sauce and reaching for a meatball from Eddie's plate. After that, she took a sip of her wine and smiled at him.

"Alexis, I wanted to tell you something the other day, but I was scared. I'm not scared anymore," he began. "We've been dating off and on for 2 years. Aside from the moments where we've needed some space, I really think I need to tell you something. Here it goes. I love you."

A tear fell down Alexis's right cheek. "You don't know how long I've waited for you to say that. I felt like you didn't care. Like I was the only one interested in the relationship. I have to tell you something too, Eddie." She tried to choke back her tears, but they kept coming back. "I've been seeing someone else. I wanted to see if he could make the move before you did."

"Alexis, I knew," a few tears came down his cheek as well. "And I wondered why. But now that I made the right move, you're coming back to me, right?"

"Eddie, you didn't make the move I wanted you to make. I'm 25, I want to get married. I want to start a family. I want to insure my future as a mother and a wife to a man I love."

"You wanted me to propose?"

"Yes," she sobbed.

Eddie thought for a minute. He grabbed a napkin, took out a pen, and wrote a few words on it. Then, he got down on one knee and looked into her brown eyes. He held out the napkin and said, "Alexis, will you marry me?"

She squealed and read the napkin. It said, "I. O. U. a very expensive ring."

She jumped up from the booth and hugged Eddie. He got up off his knee and picked her up. "Yes," she squealed. "Yes! I will marry you!"

Eddie was the most happy he had ever been that night. As he carried Alexis out to the limo and played her favorite CD, while he went back in to pay the bill. When he came back to the limousine, she poured the wine into some glasses and offered some to Eddie.

"To the happiest night of my life, so far!" Alexis cheered, as she clinked glasses with Eddie.

He just laughed and smiled, knowing he made the right decision.

Raven woke up the next morning, recognizing the date, and squealed. She ran into the kitchen to find Devon. He was sitting at the table with Cory, and being very sensitive while Cory cried.

"Hey y'all, sorry to break up the cry-fest but I am 4 months pregnant! Yes, yes, I am almost half-way through and can't wait to see my baby," Raven said happily.

"That's great, baby!" Devon got up to hug his sister.

"Raven, I am so happy for you. I can't believe that even though you're probably in pain right now, you can be so happy," Cory said, admiringly.

"Cory, things will work out for you," Raven said as she gently hugged her younger brother. He patted her belly tenderly and laughed.

"Hey Ray, do you want to make a coffee run for us?" Devon asked, handing her his credit card.

"Yeah, just let me get dressed." She hurriedly put on a t-shirt and jeans and headed out the door for the nearest coffee shop.

She walked in and stood in line to order. A woman behind her began to laugh.

"What are you laughing at?" Raven asked as she turned around.

"Nothing," the woman giggled. "Except for the fact that that's the reason why I don't want to get pregnant." She pointed towards Raven's t-shirt.

"What's wrong with my shirt?"

"It's an ugly maternity shirt. You have to shop at old-women stores and (giggle) carry extra fat around you. Even after you have the baby you're still fat." She continued laughing.

"I made this shirt," Raven laughed.

"You, an old woman make a shirt?"

"Oh, I'm not old honey, just a year ago, I was Donna Cabonna's personal assistant. I'm starting my own business now, though. And this is just the start of my maternity line. And clothes and weight shouldn't be the reason not to start a family. Being a mother is such a wonderful feeling, and I haven't even had my kid yet. And having a husband to support me and tell me that I'm the thinnest I've ever been, is the best feeling. I treasure every moment with my baby."

The younger woman blinked. "I'm sorry," she said. "My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for about a year now."

"Here's my number," Raven said. "Talk to me anytime." And then she ordered her coffee and left. She found out the woman's name was Lisa. When she came home to Cory, she found out that Devon has talked Cory into finding someone else and starting over in the relationship. Hannah was long gone, and it was over.


	4. Wonderful Surprise

Okay, so I had started writing this story before Cory and the House came out, and I decided I didn't really want to add that in, but I will add it in. But not much. Just a few characters. Oh, and I did forget about Stanley but I will be bringing him in to this chapter. It seems like there's a lot going on right now, but I'm trying to somehow mesh it all together. Thanks for being patient.

* * *

_What's wrong with me? _Cory thought with a plastic coffee cup cuddled in his hand. _I used to be such a lady's man. Or maybe, that was what I thought. I don't understand! I didn't move too fast with Hannah. In fact, I was trying to take it slow. Is that why she left? It couldn't be. I didn't take her out. I was lazy. I'm such a jerk. _"What wrong with me?" he mumbled to himself aloud. He tossed his cup in the trash can and missed.

"You're self-centered, obnoxious, and greedy," a response came to the question he. _I know that shrill voice. It's so familiar and I can't even put my finger on it, _Cory puzzled.

He spun around in his chair and saw a girl with black springy hair and dark skin. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Do I know you?"

She smiled. "Oh, you know me. Candace. Washington Prep?"

"Oh my gosh, Candy?" Cory asked and exclaimed at the same time. She nodded. "What are you doing in San Francisco?" he asked.

She giggled a little bit, "Well I went to Yale for two years to study politics at its finest. I couldn't take it though. I wasn't the best and it drove me crazy! My only option was transferring to a nobody school, and I felt so ashamed to go back to Washington as a Yale dropout."

"So you came to University of San Fran?" he asked, putting the pieces together.

She nodded and smiled, "Yep, I've been attending for about half of a semester. Then I realized that maybe you had come here too, since you know, you came from San Francisco."

"You found me," Cory chuckled.

"How have you been, Cory?"

He looked down at his empty, warm hands. He had nothing anymore. His heart had been crushed too many times. First by Meena and Newt, then Candy, and then Hannah. He hadn't been in too many relationships, but he had seen them all crash and burn. His senior year of high school, Cory had decided to pick things up with Candy again, but it ended as she headed off for Yale, and he went to his nobody school. She had also been in love with another guy, and he was attending Yale with her. After his recent breakup with Hannah, Cory realized that the best he could do was just stay single for the rest of his life. "I've been punched in the face a few times by life, but I think I'll be able to punch it back someday. How have you been?"

Her face turned thoughtful. "You remember Ricky, the boy I liked? He left me for a senior in freshman year and ended up dropping out of school to marry that tramp. Since then, I've been dating around, but I never really found someone."

"Well that's awful. Yeah, I had a girlfriend I met the first week of school here, and she ended up leaving just the other day," he sighed.

"That's horrible! I'm sorry, Cory. What ever happened to Newt and Meena?"

He scowled. _They betrayed me, _he thought in his head. "They went to NYU. They came out here a few months ago to tell me that they had been dating and now they were engaged."

"Ouch," Candy said sympathetically. "Didn't you have like a huge crush on Meena?" He nodded. She changed the subject, "Wow, I haven't met hardly anyone since I've been here. People aren't too friendly here are they?"

He laughed a little bit. "Not as friendly as you, Candy."

"Oh by the way," she added nervously, "I kinda go by Candace now. It sounds more professional, you know?"

He nodded. "Well, Candace," putting emphasis on her new name, "Would you like to hang out with me and some guys tonight? We're going to the football game and I think it would be a great idea if you got into the social scene."

She agreed and the two separated until that evening.

* * *

"C'mon Stanley!" a muscular young man called out from the fifty yard line. "We're getting ready to run our drills!"

Stanley, handsome and studly, carried his helmet under his arm and trotted onto the field in glory. Football practice is what made him the center of attention. He was glorious, powerful, and most importantly, popular. All the ladies loved him, the guys were jealous of him, and the teachers gave him great grades knowing that without him, the football team would be nothing. Ah yes, being senior quarterback was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Who are we?" a wide receiver shouted, pumping up the team.

"BAYSIDE!" the team answered in a triumphant scream.

They all dashed into their positions, Stanley being almost the center. All eyes were on him, and he absolutely loved it. Cheerleaders were practicing on the sidelines, in their short skirts and watching Stanley perform. He was the actor and his audience loved him.

"Blue, 42, set… HIKE!" he shouted. The ball was tossed to him and he threw it out to the open man sprinting down the field. One beautiful throw and a couple of yards later, the boys screamed touchdown and the touchdown-scorer did his dance. Although the other guy had scored, Stanley stood in the center of the field, taking a bow and waving to the girls.

Practice was over. He took off his sweaty helmet to reveal a glistening, wet head. He flashed his white teeth and winked at the cheerleaders, who had not lost any pep during their long practice. Just as he was about to jog into the building and change from his grass and dirt stained clothes, he heard a whistle and whisper, "Stanley!" He looked around, and finally he saw a group of guys under the bleachers beckoning to him.

"Wanna join us?" they asked, tossing their eyebrows up and down.

"Ya know," he nervously laughed, "I'd love to, but I don't like men like that." He started to turn away, when the group snickered and pulled him back.

"No not that, dude. Ben just turned eighteen and got us all some cigarettes. Try one, I promise you won't get addicted," one of the blonde kids asked.

"Nah, come on. You know that stuff ain't good for your sports and sure as heck ain't good for your lungs. Y'all know those are cancer sticks, right?" he kinda laughed.

"Not if you only have one," one of the guys who had already popped a cigarette in his mouth said carelessly.

He looked around nervously. "Okay, only one. But only because I know you guys will be making fun of me forever." With that, Stanley snatched a cigarette from the paper box, and glanced at the surgeon general's warning. _Surgeon General's Warning: Smoking cigarettes may cause shortness of breath and deterioration of the lungs. _He disregarded the warning and placed the cigarette in his mouth. He took the bright red lighter and lit it. Smoke puffed out of his mouth and he stared at the small piece of paper, dangerous and yet so tiny. Something sunk inside his stomach. It tasted gross, and he knew he shouldn't be doing it. But he couldn't be made fun of for not taking the chance.

The cigarette was finished and he threw it in the dirt. He took his expensive football cleat and ground it into the small diminished paper. "Are you happy now?" he asked his peers, and stormed off into the locker room, not even looking back at all the smoke that had clouded his thoughts for the brief minutes he had hid behind the bleachers.

* * *

"How's future Mrs. Thomas feeling today?" Eddie asked as he threw a pillow gently her way.

"I have a headache," she whined. "I had way too much fancy champagne and wine last night."

He chuckled, "I'll say. You shoulda seen my bill."

She smiled, "Same old Eddie."

"Um, uh, Alexis, are you going to, uh, break up with your, uh, friend?" he asked nervously, so he wouldn't provoke her.

She nodded, still rubbing her temples. "He's a loser anyways. He wants to move to France and have two children: a boy named Pierre and a girl named Lucia. Did I mention he told me this on our first date?"

"And you still didn't break up with him?"

"Well, I did tell you of my experiment. Oh crap! She sat up straight in bed, forgetting her headache and her boyfriend. My dad."

"What about your dad?" Eddie asked, confused.

Alexis looked at Eddie and sighed, "My dad is very formal, being of the military and such. He told me that when I got engaged, he wanted the man to ask him first. We have to go to L.A."

"But, that would mean I would have to propose to you all over again."

"Exactly. Can you afford the ring right now? That would really impress him."

Eddie murmured, "Yes, but it won't be the one you want. How bout I get a fakey for now, and buy you the real one as soon as I get the money?"

She smiled. "I love you, Eddie."

"I love you too," Eddie said in return. _Wow that feels great to say now._

So Eddie and Alexis took a couple days of vacation time from work, packed up their small car with a few days' worth of clothes, filled the gas tank, and headed south down the crowded California highway that very day, to meet the man that could change everything they had planned.

* * *

I should be updating soon, because ideas are just flowing through me. And I don't much care if nobody's reading this, but I just like to feel the accomplishment of getting it done. If you're reading this, please review. It only takes like 30 seconds. 


	5. Reunion

"Edward? Is this the boy you've been telling me about, Alexis?" Mr. Schmidt asked joyfully.

"Yes Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Eddie. Sorry for making this such a surprise visit, but I guess Eddie wanted to come meet you urgently," Alexis replied in a hug as she passed through the doorway of the large house.

"Pleased to meet you sir," Eddie smiled as he watched Alexis walk through the hall and around the corner. "I hear you're a colonel?"

"Retired, yes."

"Oh, that's so intriguing," Eddie lied just a little. Once Alexis was out of sight, Eddie whispered, "Sir, this is kinda weird but I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go catch a beer with me later."

"Yes, sure, we could chat over a beer. Eddie, do you drink a lot?" Mr. Schmidt asked.

Eddie laughed a little, "Not a lot, sir. Not nearly enough to be considered a drunkard. But I do drink a little at parties and on occasion, yes."

"I like you, Eddie," Mr. Schmidt said, "You're honest. Every other boyfriend Alexis has brought home is a thieving, no-good liar."

Eddie chuckled, "Thanks sir, I guess I like you too."

* * *

"Hey Stanley, hurry up!" one of the guys yelled as the team ran drills. Stanley was lagging in the running area, and the team was frustrated.

"What's up with you man?" somebody asked.

"Oh nothing," Stanley lied, "I just have a little cold. In fact, I think I'm gonna take off, I'm not feeling well. Holla at ya lata!"

As soon as he was out of sight, Stanley snuck under the bleachers and took out one of his cigarettes. He sat there on the red dirt, puffing small wisps of smoke, hoping nobody would see. "I'm addicted," he whispered to himself. "God, help me."

* * *

"His name is Danny," Chelsea said loudly into her cell phone, "Danny of troop 157?"

"Miss," the voice on the other side of the phone said, "There is no Danny in troop 157."

Chelsea dropped her phone. Why hadn't she been notified of his death? He- he meant the world to her. She had to go see his mother.

"Excuse me, Danny's mom?!" Chelsea called above the noise of construction nearby into the door of an open trailer in San Francisco Trailers and Homes.

"What do you want?" an obnoxious voice called from within. "I'm enjoying my CHICKEN!"

"Miss, my name is Chelsea Daniels. Are you Danny's mother?"

Her eyes shone, and finally Chelsea could see past the grime on her skin, the thinning mess of hair, and the gravy-stained nightgown. The pride of a mother shone in her eyes.

"I sure am, little missy. Now, who are you?"

"I'm Chelsea," she replied, once again seeing the negative image of Danny's mother. "Is Danny dead?"

"Danny? No child. Well, here he is now."

Chelsea turned on her heels to see Danny, tall and more muscular, gazing back at her. "Chelsea?" he asked surprised.

"Danny!" He dropped the lumber he carried in his hands and hugged her. "Oh my gosh, I missed you so much. I called the military and they were like, there's no Danny in troop 157."

"Chelsea, I was in troop 167. I dropped out about a month ago when I sprained my thumb. It still isn't the same, so I figured I wouldn't go back. I'm currently looking for a job in the city so I can support my mother, and find a place to live. How have you been?"

"Terrible. I've worried about you every day. I can't believe you've been here for so long and I haven't even thought about looking you up," Chelsea sighed. "I still love you."

"I love you too," Danny said as he leaned in for a kiss.

Chelsea pulled away quickly, "Did you meet anybody while you were in the army?"

"Child, you better not have!" Danny's mother interrupted.

"Mother!" he exclaimed. She quickly stomped back into the trailer. "Chelsea there was someone, but it was only one."

"You met someone in the army and you expect to come back and say you still love me?"

"Chelsea she was in the army with me. She was a medic actually and she was a pretty good flirter."

"I can't believe this! Why don't you go and marry her?"

"She died, Chelsea. In an unexpected bomb accident. And I didn't love her like I loved you. I never even kissed her."

"I still love you," Chelsea repeated.

"I love you too," Danny said as he leaned into kiss her again, this time succeeding.

* * *

"So, Eddie, why did you ask me here?" Mr. Schmidt asked suspiciously.

"Sir, I want to ask you something. I love your daughter very much and I can't think of any other way of spending my life than marrying her. So I thought of asking your permission first before proposing," Eddie explained.

Mr. Schmidt raised one eyebrow, "Before I say yes, honest Eddie, why did you want my permission?"

Eddie looked around, trying to find an excuse, "Well, sir, I, uh, wanted to make sure it was okay with you before I changed your daughter's life."

"Did you really? Because I frankly remember mentioning to Alexis that I would like her boyfriend to come to me first before having him propose. Does that have anything to do with this situation?"

Eddie nodded solemnly, "Listen, Mr. Schmidt, I love your daughter. But we had a shaky relationship not too long ago. I told her I loved her and she said she wanted me to propose, if she meant anything to me. So naturally, I proposed, but of course, I didn't have a ring. I gave her a napkin telling her that I owed her a really expensive ring, and she said yes. Just this morning, she told me she wanted me to ask you first, and then propose again. I really do love your daughter sir, and because it was a spur of the moment thing, I really didn't think about asking you. I'm sorry."

Mr. Schmidt sipped his beer, considering Eddie's story. "You know, Eddie, you really are honest and that's why I like you. I really didn't care about the proposal thing, it was Alexis's mom that wanted that. So go ahead and fake the proposal to Alexis and I'll play along. I approve of you as a boyfriend, fiancé and a husband to my only precious daughter."

Eddie smiled, "Thank you sir."

* * *

Surprisingly, Candace had blended in just perfectly with Cory's friends. They enjoyed going to football games or playing pools or spending nights at the bar just talking to her. Cory enjoyed it the most. He even thought that maybe, just maybe, he might have a middle school crush on her again. Oh boy how childhood friends bring back childhood feelings.

"Pass the chips," Candace commanded Cory as the two of them sat on the couch of Cory's apartment watching a late night rerun of a football game.

Cory threw the unopened bag across the room to her. He watched as she shoved a handful in her mouth, her tennis shoes on the wooden coffee table, her wild, unruly hair pulled into a stretched ponytail, stains all over her USF t-shirt. She was nothing like Hannah, and yet, he thought he liked her more.

"Candace," he said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure Cory," she answered as she tossed the chips back onto the coffee table.

"How come you're not all Candy Smiles anymore?"

"Cory," she said as she looked at him sternly, "Look at me. I have a few things to smile about but I've learned that the world isn't always yellow daisies and cotton candy. I'm still Candy Smiles, but I prefer to go by Candace Smiles, a girl who just likes to kick back and have fun."

Cory smiled.


	6. The Final Chapter

"Okay, Cory," Candace said one night as they sat at the bar alone, "I have to admit something

"Okay, Cory," Candace said one night as they sat at the bar alone, "I have to admit something. I know I came here just looking for friends after being through such a terrible relationship but I really wanted to come find you. I haven't stopped thinking about you since Ricky dumped me and I needed to see you face to face. I transferred to USF on purpose but I refused to be so desperate to actually look you up."

"So… you still like me?" Cory asked, a little dumbfounded.

"Yes, I do. And I know it's been a few years but I was wondering if maybe we could try dating again, even though it didn't work in middle school or senior year. I promise I won't leave you for anyone," she pleaded.

"You know, Candace, I'd like that." He grabbed her hand and she smiled at him.

_Today's the day, _Stanley thought, _I won't pick up a single cigarette today. I have will power, I'm strong, I'm going to kick this stupid habit. _Stanley picked up his football bag and jogged down the stairs to get to his mustang. He drove to the school and walked into the locker room with his gym bag. After a quick change, the team gathered while listening to the coach.

_This is easy, _Stanley said in his head while he should've been paying attention to the plays, _I haven't even thought about those… what are they called? Oh yeah, cigarettes. See, it's easy! I'm so free now that I don't smoke, I'm even pumped up to win this game!_

Stanley dominated the field for the entire duration of the game. He had never played better in his life. Maybe trying really hard to remember to forget actually makes you better at football?

Days went on and Stanley didn't touch or see a single cigarette. Sometimes he would look over and see tiny puffs of smoke from behind the bleachers and he smiled with a sense of satisfaction. Weeks went by, he hadn't smoked one cigarette.

Mission accomplished; habit kicked.

Three weeks after reuniting with Danny, Chelsea was in the lobby of her apartment building waiting for the moving truck. Danny had no luck finding a place of his own to look for, so she finally suggested he move in with her. She was so excited that after not seeing him for two years that now she was able to see him every waking minute. Danny pulled up with the U-Haul and honked the horn with a goofy smile on his face. Chelsea squealed and went out to help him with his boxes.

Luckily, all he had were boxes of clothes and some personal things like old books and only one armchair he had just bought from a catalogue. Danny had told Chelsea that all his stuff barely fit in his mom's trailer and he didn't want to take any of her lawn furniture. Yes, he was making plenty of money from his new job as a P.E. teacher at a public high school, but he just didn't feel right living with his mom. He gave her a little money but he was uncomfortable feeding her addiction to heroin.

"That's okay," Chelsea had told him, "I have plenty of furniture. I'm so excited you're moving in!"

"Me too! We'll be able to watch latenight talk shows and even have a little privacy," he laughed.

She smiled. It was like having her best friend as her roommate. Raven was already married, Eddie was living with Alexis, and the only person eligible to move in with her was Danny. Of course, it's not like he was her last choice. Two days ago, when they had decided to move in together, she had butterflies in her stomach as soon as he said yes. The last two days dragged on, as Danny spent as much time as he could with his mother and now he was finally here and all moved in. She couldn't be happier.

Eddie stood under the flowers and lights in his tuxedo. This is it, the last few minutes of being an unmarried man. No turning back now. Raven sat a few rows back next to Devon, Chelsea sat holding Danny's hand, Cory was sitting with his old girlfriend, Candy, and even Mr. and Mrs. Baxter had made it to the wedding. Under the stars and the decorative lights, he could barely see them but he knew they were all smiling. Except for maybe Raven, she was very pregnant now.

A few months ago, Eddie hadn't pictured this happening. He could hardly say "I love you," to Alexis a few months ago. Now it's all he can think about. The minister offers a few reassuring words in a low voice and Eddie nods. He looks over to the bride's side and Alexis's mom winks at him. Mother-in-law. What a strange concept. This lady he had no relationship with at all will now become family.

Music starts. Eddie turns to see Alexis in the beautiful (expensive) gown she had picked out and was so proud of. Her eyes were perfectly positioned under a row of Christmas-looking lights and her smile made his eyes tear up. This was it, this was the greatest day of his life. Alexis's dad walked her down the aisle with his face shining with pride. His daughter was finally getting married.

The service was simple, it had actually flown by faster than Eddie thought it would. He socialized with his friends during the reception and enjoyed all the dancing and food at the reception. The day flew by, and suddenly the wedding was over. He was sitting at home with Alexis just thinking about it. He was married. He couldn't be happier.

Raven woke up at about eight in the morning with stomach pains. True, the baby was due any day now but she couldn't help but pass it off as stomach pain. She pulled the covers over her head and tried so hard to go back to sleep. She moaned, her stomach hurt so much.

"Ray, are you okay?" Devon asked sleepily.

"Yeah just contractions," Raven replied.

"Okay, well make sure you tell me if they're serious or…" his voice stopped. "Raven? Did you just pee?"

"No, why?"

He didn't respond and she looked down.

"We're having a baby!" Devon exclaimed as he got up threw on a shirt and pants and grabbed Raven's pre-prepared hospital bag. She got up slowly, didn't bother getting dressed and next thing they knew they were in a birthing room in the hospital. Devon had called Eddie, Chelsea, Cory, and both of their parents in the car and they were expected to be there any minute now.

I'll spare you the details by just skipping ahead.

Many hours of labor later, Raven lay half asleep in the hospital bed and Devon sat holding her hand. The others waited in the waiting room and a nurse walked in carrying their baby. They still didn't know what the sex was, but the baby was wrapped in blue.

"What would you like to name him?" the nurse asked.

"Adam," Raven said. She didn't know why, but Adam had popped into her head as soon as the nurse let her hold him. "Adam."

"Adam… Lucas. Adam Lucas," Devon added.

Raven smiled and nodded. In all their months of planning they had never come up with a name so fitting. She knew her adventures weren't over but her pregnancy was. Adam was such a blessing and she knew her life would change from that point on.


End file.
